


Tonight was Tonight.

by bearylovely



Series: hammock buds [1]
Category: IT - Stephen King
Genre: Aged-Up Losers Club (IT), M/M, Reddie, The Hammock (IT)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-08
Updated: 2019-10-08
Packaged: 2020-11-27 12:55:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,734
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20948678
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bearylovely/pseuds/bearylovely
Summary: Reddie as seniors at a party. Things go down. Warnings: homophobia and slurs (Based loosely on ‘Denim Jacket’- Sammy Rae)





	Tonight was Tonight.

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this over two days and listened to the song in the summary, Sammy Rae's 'Denim Jacket' and ended up listening to 'parents' by yungblud for the rest of it, but the plot was based off of Sammy Rae's music bc I love her. 
> 
> This is kinda based on things I've experience because being a small town gay is horrendous. 
> 
> Sorry for any spelling mistakes. 
> 
> I could do a part two or make this a series of things I do with a secret relationship AU if y'all want it.

It wasn’t that they didn’t go to parties. The Losers went to parties often enough to be considered popular, they just didn’t stay at parties. That was always the problem. Usually, Bev would only get one drink through, she guzzled alcohol faster than any of the others, before someone would ask to leave. It might be Stan claiming there were too many people, or Bill uncomfortable with the dancing, or Eddie’s mixture of full-proof excuses. Because none of them really wanted to be at any of the parties they went to.  
The people they really wanted to spend time with were right next to them, and large parties were just rooms they had to try harder than usual to not get separated in. Though they still went, usually under Richie’s advice. He was the only one of them that ever had a hard time leaving. As the only true extrovert of the bunch, parties were a good way to spend his Saturday nights. When everyone else found a way out of them, he would go alone, ending up asleep on someone else’s bed with three strangers around him.  
Tonight was no different from any other time the Losers went to a party. They had been there about ten minutes, Mike had taken one sip from a dingy plastic cup, and Bev was trying desperately to get Ben to dance. Eddie and Stan were leaning in the Kitchen, surrounded by other people who wanted to dance, but weren’t quite confident enough to take the leap and just do it. Neither of them drank. Richie had often tried to get Eddie to drink, but it didn’t work. Not even when he had mixed it in with Eddie’s coffee in the morning. The boy had simply taken a sip, and without flinching, spit in like a fountain in Richie’s face.  
Like a hurricane, Richie flung himself in the kitchen. He wasn’t drunk yet, he had barely had more than a half his cup. 

“Ed-Spaget, Stan the man, what’s up?” He attempted to high five them, but neither reciprocated. 

“It’s loud” Eddie tried to say over the noise.

“I think I’m going to head out, I have an APUS test in the morning” without another word, Stan made his way out of the kitchen and towards the front door. 

“Wanna go outside?” Richie offered, it was obvious to anyone that Eddie was uncomfortable. 

Eddie nodded, following Richie to a small patio in the back yard of whoever’s house they were in. Neither of them could say for sure, they had guesses as to whose house it was, from baby pictures on the walls, but they weren’t close enough to anyone to really know. Senior year was a new start for all of the Losers. Bev got in touch with her family outside of Derry, Bill was mostly over his stutter, and Richie had decided to become the resident fuckboy of the group. It did annoy Eddie, but not enough to really mention it. It wasn’t like he was much better.  
The same month that Richie had gotten contacts, Eddie had gotten glasses. And despite looking nothing alike in any other way, all of the Losers called them the wrong names for three weeks after the fact. Richie had grown into his clingy button ups and bomber jackets. On this particular night, he had on a denim jacket with patches sewed into it. Eddie had spent months helping him sew everything into it. Eddie was the only one of the Losers to take a Home-Ec class, besides Stan, who religiously refused to use anything he was taught. It was a small act of defiance against the teacher that refused to teach him how to make kosher christmas cookies. He had also made his in the shape of the star of david, but it wasn’t really enough.  
Eddie was wearing a pair of colored dress pants and a completely oversized polo shirt. He didn’t really know how he kept accumulating so many oversized polos, but he also didn’t buy his own clothes, so it wasn’t like he could do anything about it. His mother still bought everything for him, and would have a fit if he had tried to bring anything into that house under her nose. It was cold enough to put frost on the grass in the morning, and Eddie felt it as soon as he stepped outside. That late autumn chill. 

“Can’t believe we’re Seniors now” Eddie scoffed, looking out over the unfamiliar backyard. 

“I know right? Like it’s been almost three months now, and it still doesn’t feel real” Richie took another sip from his cup. 

“I guess it’s like that every year” Eddie leaned over the banister, crossing his arms idly. 

“Not Sophomore year, I distincting remember feeling like a Sophomore” Richie put on a voice and Eddie couldn’t help but nudge him with his elbow.

“I just can’t wait to get out of here” Eddie rubbed his hands up and down his arms. 

“You cold?” Richie began to shrug off his jacket, already in the process of draping it over Eddie’s shoulders. 

“Just a little. I wanna head home, if that’s fine” Eddie gripped the jacket, pulling it on completely. 

“Yeah, this place is boring anyway” Richie shrugged, guiding Eddie by the shoulders towards the steps down into the side yard. 

“Bev said she’s renting a bounce house for her birthday” Eddie sighed, running a hand over the railing before flinging his hand back, the filth catching him off guard. 

“Oh so her and Ben are gettin’ freaky in style” Richie choked out a laugh, stopping as Eddie turned around at the bottom of the steps. 

“You’re not funny” Eddie glared, beginning to walk around the house. 

“C’mon, I’m fucking histerical” 

“Throw me the keys. You aren’t driving anywhere like that”

“Fair point. Don’t need to end up in another ditch”

“Yeah, once is enough for a lifetime” Eddie laughed. 

They rounded the house, making their way through the rows of parked cars. At least half of which wouldn’t be moving anywhere until late the next morning. They passed Stans car, and Richie didn’t understand why Eddie was stood in front of it instead of moving. 

“What’s-holy fuck. Stan the Man is getting it-wait, what the FUCK?” 

A lot ran through Richie’s mind at once. The first thing he registered was Stan’s curly hair bobbing back and forth with someone else’s mouth underneath his. He was making out with someone. In his car. Almost completely sober. That was a first. Then it hit that it wasn’t just some random partygoer, that was Bill sitting in the passenger seat. He may have said the last sentence a bit too loud, because Eddie pushed him back, ducking under the hood to stay out of view. 

“Did we just-did that just-what just happened?” Eddie sat against one of the front wheels, his eyes wide. 

“I think we just saw Stan and Bill making out” Richie sat down next to him. 

“Yeah obviously, dipshit” Eddie hit his leg. 

“Do we just...walk away?” Richie began to sit up. 

“I mean I guess so” Eddie sounded as unsure as he felt. 

“Can’t exactly knock on the door and ask to join, they probably wouldn’t-”

“Beep beep, Richie” Eddie crawled a couple of cars over, prompting Richie to follow. 

“My bad princess, didn’t realize I upset you” Richie reached a hand out to help Eddie up. 

“Shut the fuck up” Eddie mumbled as Richie flung him off the ground, launching him high enough that Stan and Bill probably felt his impact on the ground. 

They walked in silence to Richie’s truck. He got it second hand on his seventeenth birthday, and it ran like shit. The engine had stopped working twice for various reasons, and the battery already had to be replaced in under a year of owning the car. Still, it had an endearing quality about it. The sputtering of the engine provided a calming sort of hum in the background of an otherwise far too loud world. Richie held the driver’s door open for Eddie, who reluctantly climbed in.  
Slowly the heating began to kick on, and they sat in the dark with only fuzzy outdated hits coming through the radio that had stopped working right months ago. Eddie had his hands on the steering wheel, almost ready to start the drive back to his house, when something caught his eyes. A couple of kids were making their way out of the party, and were on course to walk straight by Stan’s car. From the angle of his two seater, they’d be able to see everything, and by the looks of them, that wasn’t something they’d be keen on seeing.  
Almost at the exact time Eddie saw them, they saw Stan and Bill, who were most likely still tounge deep in each other. The thought of kissing scared Eddie, not that he would catch any sort of disease, but that he wouldn’t be any good at it. He didn’t have a clue what it was all about, or why there was such a fuss over it. Maybe if I girl took him up in her arms and made a big deal of teaching him to kiss, maybe he’d understand it then. But doubt still flooded his mind.  
The kids pointed for a minute before stumbling over to the closest yard and picking up rocks. As soon as they started taking aim, Eddie unbuckled and threw the stick back into Park. Richie looked at him with wide eyes, not seeing the same thing he was. Eddie jumped out of the car, denim jacket still slung sloppily over his shoulders. He threw his arms through the sleeves on his way over, feeling an overwhelming sense of unease at having it hanging off. Richie was following close behind.  
By the time they got there, the kids had already gotten a couple of good throws into Stan’s car. Both of the boys were crouched down in the small backseat, Bill’s hands over Stan’s head. One of the side windows was cracked, the windshield had a small crack on the upper right side, and there was a prominent dent in the driver’s side door. Eddie stood in front of the car, not knowing what else to do with himself. 

“What the fuck are you doing!” Eddie screamed, not bothering to acknowledge Richie by his side. 

“Fucking fags” the kids threw down whatever rocks they had left, making their way around the car. 

“The fuck did you just say? You little fucking bitch, you better watch your fucking back, these are my friends you’re talking about, you can’t treat them like that, you fucking coward” Richie had to physically hold Eddie back from running after them and continueing his screaming barade. 

“Let them be” Richie said slowly, letting his grip on Eddie loosen. 

“Did you just see that! They fucking wrecked Stan’s car, and, and, they called them, they, holy fuck, Stan!” Eddie began, but cut himself off, spinning around to fling open the driver’s door.

Inside the car, Stan was crying. Bill had his arms around him, clutching him to his chest. Eddie swore he could see tears forming in Bill’s eyes as well, and he’d be lying if he said he didn’t feel like crying in that moment. Bill’s face looked so defeated, broken. Eddie wanted to fix it all, fix this town, fix these people, but it wasn’t any use. Nothing could change it completely. There was nothing he could do besides stroke Stan’s back and whisper cliche things until his voice broke.  
Richie crammed into the driver’s side as well, sliding the chair forward to make room for him and Eddie to sit with them. A song hummed on repeat in the background, Richie quickly moved to turn it off, instead changing the radio to a station that played Jazz. Stan always liked Jazz music, or at least Richie hoped he did. The truth was, Richie sucked at comforting people. Eddie was always the one to make everything better. He knew just what to say and how to say it. Eddie could make anyone think twice about hating anything. His optimism was contagious.  
Richie grabbed Stan’s stray hand, suddenly wishing Eddie had been the one to do it instead. He didn’t know what to do to make it any better. He didn’t know what to say to excuse what had just happened. Because it was inexcusable. They shouldn’t have done it. But saying that would only make Stan feel worse, so instead, he pried Stan off of Bill and carried him out of the car. Eddie moved out of the way, and Bill locked the door behind them. It wouldn’t be safe to drive home in that car anyway. Richie didn’t stop until he had Stan sitting in the bed of his truck with Bill’s hand in his. He shot Eddie a look and climbed in the passengers side. Eddie took to his spot on the driver’s side, not waiting for the heat to kick on before he started driving. 

“We’re not going home” Richie said it matter of factly, something caught in his throat. 

“Where are we going?” Eddie stayed on the same residential road, not daring to turn. 

“I’ll show you” Richie smiled, putting his hand on Eddie’s idle one. 

It was enough to take his focus off the road, and Eddie was a little bit uncomfortable with how sloppy his driving us. Especially due to two of his closest friends sitting in the back without seat belts or any way to hold themselves in place. But it wasn’t his fault. Richie was the one that distracted him. Richie pointed when he wanted Eddie to turn, quickly taking them to the outskirts of town. It wasn’t until they were completely lost that Eddie asked where they were headed. 

“You’ll see, Spaghetti” Richie smiled that kind of smile that told Eddie he wasn’t using the nickname to annoy him. 

After a few more turns, slowly the terrain became more familiar, but Eddie still couldn’t place it. The road had turned to gravel ages ago, the bumpy feeling of driving on dirt now felt normal. Richie grabbed a flashlight from the glovebox and motioned for Eddie to stop. He pulled to the side, putting the car in park and shooting a glance backwards towards Bill and Stan, who were huddled together in a corner.  
Richie hopped out, making his way to the back and Eddie followed. Bill woke Stan up, who had somehow fallen asleep in all the turmoil. Bill grabbed his hand, guiding him towards wherever the tipsy Richie planned on leading them. Richie pulled aside a bush and began walking in a line like he had done a million times before. Eddie followed hesitantly, Bill and Stan stumbling behind him. Eddie could make out a mark on Bill’s neck from Richie’s flashlight. Before long Richie was yelling for them to come over, to what looked like a hatch in the ground.  
It all came back like a flash. Ben taking everyone down into a literal hole in the ground. So many good memories of everyone together. They were still a group, but the little moments felt less meaningful after knowing each other so long. Bill helped Stan down the ladder, Eddie following after them and closing the hatch. Richie slinked down into the hammock, taking up the majority of the room. 

“H-how did you even r-remember this place?” Bill looked around the small room, never taking his hand out of Stan’s. 

“Are you meaning to tell me you and Stanley don’t come down here to fuck? Cuz that would make the condoms I’ve found a little more-”

“Beep beep” Eddie glared at him from where he was leaning on the ladder. 

“I h-haven’t been down here since...m-middle school pr-probably” Bill picked up a fallen picture frame, looking over what had to be all of the Losers at the lake. 

“What are we doing here, Rich?” Eddie tapped his foot impatiently. 

“Cooling off. Obviously no one’s ready to go home yet, Stan’s on the brink of a breakdown, poor Bill’s stuttering more than my damn truck, and you were about ready to start a fight back there. We just need a minute” Richie leaned back in the hammock, slotting his hands behind his head. 

“F-for once I think he’s got a p-point, Eddie” Bill sat down on a folding chair that one of the Losers must have been missing for a couple of years now, Stan sitting directly in his lap, burying his face in Bill’s shirt. 

“Fine” Eddie felt the denim jacket tug on one of the ladder rungs, reminding him he was still wearing Richie’s jacket. 

He walked over to the Hammock in hopes of throwing the jacket on top of Richie, but ended up just standing over him. He was still too cold to take it off, but it would look weird for him to move now. He slid into the other side of the hammock, laying back. It was one of those moments where he wouldn’t have noticed how tired he actually was until he had the chance to relax, and suddenly he wished he hadn’t. They still needed to drive home, and Bill didn’t have his license. He sighed, moving his feet to accommodate for Richie’s lanky limbs.  
He looked over to find Richie looking him over curiously. Eddie laughed, rolling his eyes and moving to sit back how he was originally. Richie’s leg hung over the side, gently swaying them back and forth. It became evident very quickly that both Bill and Stan had fallen asleep in the tacky folding chair in the corner. Richie closed his eyes, but kept moving the hammock. Eddie leaned forward, moving to rest his head on Richie’s chest. 

“We should get them home soon” Eddie traced circles on Richie’s chest. 

“Parents aren’t expecting them till tomorrow anyway, might as well let them sleep” Richie’s voice was soft and groggy. 

“How did you even remember this place?” Eddie echoed Bill’s previous question, hoping for a real answer. 

“I come back here all the time. Sometimes my house is a little too loud and I just wanna think, other times I just sit and think about life, I dunno, I like it here” Richie’s answer was incoherent from sleepiness and alcohol. 

“You think it’s okay what they did to Stan today?” Eddie hoped Richie was drunk enough to take pity on him and be serious for more than three seconds. 

“Not at fucking all. You just, you can’t go starting fights with people like that. It isn’t going to change their mind. And who cares? Stan and Bill aren’t gunna stop necking just because some stupid kids decided it would be fun to wreck the windshield...Kinda weird seeing them so touchy though, before tonight I wouldn’t have guessed”

“Me either. And people think we’re dating” Eddie scoffed, closing his eyes against Richie’s chest. 

“So that isn’t what’s happening here?” Richie laughed, but the words hung in the air. 

Eddie couldn’t fall asleep outside of his bed, and Richie was too high-strung to fall asleep after a night like the one they had just had. Instead they focused on Bill’s soft breathing and the crickets somewhere in the left corner behind the ladder. The silence was comfortable, reminiscent of the afternoons they had once spent similarly. 

“I mean, if you actually want that to happen, I wouldn’t mind” Richie’s voice was barely above a whisper. 

“What?” Eddie tried to hide the surprise in his voice, but it made him sound even quieter than anticipated. 

“If you wanted to date, I’d be cool with it”

“Cool with it?’ The hell’s that supposed to mean?” Eddie echoed, laughing. 

“You know me, always a romantic” Richie was almost asleep by now, his words coming out slurred.

“No, what did you mean” Eddie pulled his face up to meet Richie’s. 

It didn’t occur to him how close they were until Richie opened his eyes and he could make out all the different colorful shades within them. He didn’t mean to stare, in fact with anyone else he would hate staring, or even being this close. Richie smiled, wrapping his arms around Eddie’s lower back. It was then that Bill started snoring and both of them collapsed into silent laughter, careful not to wake them. 

“God, tomorrow’s going to be absolute torture” Richie held Eddie closer, pulling his head down to the crook of his neck. 

“We have to file a report against those kids, I don’t know how police shit works, and Stan’s parents are going to be pissed. How are we supposed to tell them that it was a hate crime because he was making out with a dude, and that dude happens to be his childhood best friend that they didn’t know he was dating, and actually none of us knew he was dating. Oh and that he liked boys, and that he didn’t bother with telling any of us that either, if my mom finds out, she’ll never let me-”

Eddie was cut off by Richie pulling his face into a brief kiss. That shut him up, and put a million more thoughts into his head than what they were going to do tomorrow. Instead, his heart beat out of his chest, looking down into the multi-shaded eyes he could pick out of any lineup. The only face he could stand to be this close to. Probably the only person he wasn’t terrified of kissing. Because how could he mess it up, it’s Richie after all. 

“We’ll worry about it tomorrow, yeah? For now, let’s say me and you flick off this flashlight and-”

“Yes” Eddie leaned back down, not afraid of anything. 

No fear of what kinds of diseases he could be getting from the literal Trashmouth of the group, no fear of stupid teens throwing rocks, no fear of being a horrible kisser. Nothing was scary with Richie there, nothing had the same bite with Richie’s denim jacket over his back and the boy himself laying under him with arms wrapped to tightly around him that he’d be hard pressed to belive he might ever let go.  
And tomorrow morning would be horrible. It would be everything they didn’t want it to be. But tonight was tonight.


End file.
